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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. march — music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — for catching
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com